Spread Kindness by Leaving Art Around Your Neighborhood

I’ve always believed that creativity makes the world a better place. Creation is the opposite of destruction, and when we make something — whether it’s art, music, poetry, jewelry, food, whatever — it counteracts all the forces of negativity beating down on us. 

That’s why it’s so important to share what we create. In doing so, we spread love and kindness. 

People often ask me what I do with all the craft projects I create. The fact is, I give almost all of them away. I don’t have room for everything and, more importantly, other people seem to enjoy receiving the completed projects more than I enjoy keeping them. 

One very fun way to share something I make is to pass it out anonymously, and surreptitiously, around my neighborhood. This is a practice many of my fellow crafters enjoy engaging in, and we call it art abandonment. By leaving art all around, we hope that someone else will find it and find some joy in the discovery. Art abandonment has become quite a movement, and there’s even a Facebook group dedicated to it.

To get started, you can create any art you wish. One of the most popular projects people have been sharing are painted rocks with positive affirmations on them, but you can make something as simple as a bookmark or as extravagant as jewelry. Paint a miniature canvas. Bundle some dried flowers. Write and print out a poem. Anything you create is a treasure waiting to be found.

You’ll want to print out a note so whoever finds your art piece will know it was placed there on purpose and meant to be picked up. You can create an email address so the recipient can let you know they found the object, or encourage them to post about it on social media with a hashtag like #Ifoundsomehappiness. It also helps to package the art and accompanying note in a clear ziplock bag to keep it all together. Ideal places to drop off your art include parking lots, ATMs, bus benches and store shelves.

So, are you ready to be your neighborhood’s secret art giver? You’ll soon agree that the only thing better than creating something is sharing it — unconditionally and with a happy heart.

Jonathan Fong is the author of “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects here.